Eating your way around the Great Ocean Road- The 12 Apostles Food Artisans Trail

It’s probably no surprise when you hear that I base the majority of our stops on a holiday around good food stops.

The Great Ocean Road is one of those places where there is SO MUCH incredible food and producers at your finger tips. Before visiting I had no idea what incredible regions were around the iconic coastline- there really is so much more to the 12 Apostles and Great Ocean Road then the typical touristy spots.

If you are planning on visiting the GOR make sure you visit the 12 Apostles Food Artisan Trail. The trail encompasses a variety of foodie and beverage experiences, and takes around 5.5 hours to finish from start to finish. It’s also a great way to explore the hinterland and visit some of the smaller towns like Timboon and Simpson that you may have bypassed before hand.

We did the trail over two days because we had a few sleep-ins, but we managed to tick most of the places off the list Here’s how it all went down…

Sow and Piglets Microbrewery

This microbrewery is attached to a backpackers hostel and it is the perfect place to hang out at the end of a long day. On our visit we opted for a tasting paddle- the other half loved EVERY one of their beers, while I sipped on my alcoholic iced tea. There’s plenty of seating to take it all in- we sat out on the deck in the sunshine, where one paddle turned into 2 pints and more tea.

Timboon Cheesery/Schulz Organic Dairy

If you love cheese platters then this is the place for you. We stopped in here for a early brunch (because cheese for brekky is totally acceptable), and snacked on a platter out in their glorious gardens. We fell in love with their Peppered Butten and Quark flavoured with herbs and spices. You might want to bring a cooler bag with you, because you’ll want to recreate this platter in the coming days.

Timboon Fine Icecream

This icecreamery is the perfect spot for big and little kids. There are so many flavours to choose from, and the staff insist on double tastings- how horrible I know! Favourites of ours included the licorice and raspberry and white chocolate, but I feel like you honestly can’t go wrong. There’s also plenty of space outside for the kids to run around, with seating in the sunshine. Bliss.

Timboon Railway Shed Distillery

Whiskey and spirit lovers unite- you’re going to love this distillery. The other half had a few nips of the good stuff, and loved it so much he walked away with two bottles- it’s that good. We loved chatting to the maker himself, as well as checking out their other products on hand. The Railway Shed also offers a full restaurant serving lunches and coffee, making it the perfect spot to relax and spend a few hours.

Berry World

Who doesn’t love wandering through a strawberry patch and filling punnets full of berries? We caught it at the end of the season, but still found (and ate) plenty of huge ripe strawberries. I swear these berries are on growth hormones because they were some of the biggest and juiciest ones I have ever seen. If you don’t want to pick your own they offer a variety of strawberry desserts, jams and ice creams- you will definitely not go hungry!

Dairylicious

Endless amounts of fudge tastings and flavours- yes thanks. Dairylicious makes bars of handmade fudge in every flavour you can imagine- Jaffa, caramel, old style fudge and mint. The list goes on. We left with four bars and found it hard to stop. The fudgery is located in a small shed but will be moving into bigger digs on the property when it’s ready.

Apostle Whey Cheese

If you are a cheese lover then this has to be a must visit. Apostle Whey Cheese was one of our favourite places on the trail. It has a stunning outlook, large dining area, a good sense of humour and brilliant cheese. The cheese maker guided us through a tasting of all their cheeses and I honestly didn’t dislike one of them- even their blue cheese was good, and i’m not a blue fan. We grabbed a few wheels in a cooler bag to take home, as well as some toasties for the road- their toasties are top notch, and I’ve heard good things about their milkshakes.

Gorge Chocolates

Mint chocolate, Raspberry licorice covered in white chocolate, giant rocky road- have I got your attention yet? Gorge Chocolates is just down the road from the cheesery and is filled with Chocolates, as well as locally made condiments, nuts and sauces. We ate way too many samples and bought a few too many sweets- let’s just say I had wish I had worn stretchy pants that day. If you are looking for something to gift or take home then snap up their ‘Ocean Reef Rations’ packet offering a range of different sweets, making it a touristy, yet delicious holiday momento.

Places we didn’t visit- Simpsons Snails, Aldo’s Olives (we attended but for it was closed), Newtons Ridge Estate Vineyard and Winery The Place of Wonder and the Sow and Piglets Production Brewery. Next time!

Click here to see the map and start planning your trip! You’ll also find a copy of the map at participating venues.